New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-01-30

1t seems hardly possible that the State of
California will decline to buy the Bancroft
Historical Library. No more valuable literary
collection has ever been offered for sale in this
country, not excepting even the franklin
papers. 1t contains 10000 volumes and
10000 manuscripts, and experts have valued
1t at $25O,OOO. The report is that if California
refuses the offer the library will be sold abroad
and broken up. AS we have said. it appears
to be unlikely that California will fail to OBJ
tain the collection but in view of such pos
sibllity, the attention of Congress is called to
the opportunity.
The arrest Of Quinn, Master Workman of
District Assembly 40, Knights of Labor and
of various other labor agitators now managing
the strikes in this city, will bring difficult ques
tons into the courts. What seems most I'M
pOrtant to determine as point of law is the
possibility of corporations obtaining damages
for loss of profits owing to the passive resist
ance of their employees and collecting the same
from the men who advise such resistance. In
regard to matters of fact 1t Is evident that the
plaintiffs in these cases will have trouble to
show that Quinn and his associates ordered the
strikes They have claimed all along. evidently
having legal pr proceedings against them in mind,
that they had given no orders; they had
merely advised the strike and that instead of
promoting labor troubles they really have been
trying to compromise them.
The action of the Excise Board in raising
the price of liquor licenses is to be commended
as proper but short step toward high license
HencefOrth hotels of the second class must pay
5000 for the bar privileges instead of 500; ;
and saloon where ale. beer, wines and spirits
are sold will have to pay 5000 instead of $75
1t is to be noted. however, that new grade
of license is established for the Offering of ale,
beer and wine. and the price fixed at $50
Practically this is reduction and 1T is the
weak point of the Boards reform, since no one
can doubt that saloons of this kind Will rapidly
increase, and that they will sell spirits. too.
Captious observers may think that the Excise
Commissioners aim in making these changes
is to head off high-license legislation. at
Albany. If that was the object, we trust it
will fail.
There is nothing in the statement made YES
terday by Detective Price to modify the conclu-
son that his performances on Tuesday evening
were indefensible. 1t is extremely easy for
detective, after he has invaded private prem
lses without warrant in a wholly improper
effort to serve the purposes of physically at
tractive young actress, who seeks at police
station revenge some women with whom
she has Quarrelled, TO get up story in expla-
nation Of his action. But complaints of the
sort made by the vindictive young actress are
to be settled in the civil courts, and tho detec-
tive had no more right to enter the twenty
eighth-st. house without warrant than he had
to force his way into bank presidents office
without permission. Moreover, this is not the
first time that this detective has made arbitrary
arrests for insufficient reasons.
Counsellor the defence in the O'Nel case have
produced some extraordinary evidence on which
they plainly rest the prisoners chances of ac-
mutual. Mrs. Mclaughlin, widow of tho Al
Herman at whose house tho combine" is said
TO have been formed. and relative. Miss Fox
who lived with her. testified yesterday that no
such meetings us Ftllgraff and Duffy dosoribe
we're held there and Miss Fox, who says she
always answered the door bell, declares she